Car seal



Patented ay 8, 1923.

, 1,454,211 TNT OFFICE. j 7

WILLIAM KERR EDGAR, F LAWRENCE, KANSAS, AssIenoR TO THE. EDGAR STEELSEAL & MFG. 00., 0E LAWRENCE, KANSAS. I I

GAR SEAL.

Application filed July 22, 1921. Serial No. 486,819.

To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that I WILLIAM KERR ED- GAR, a citizen of the Uhited States,residing at Lawrence, in the county of Douglas and State of Kansas, haveinvented a new and useful Car Seal, of which the following is aspecification. I

This invention relates to car seals and is designed more especially asan improvement upon the structure, shown, for example, in

Patent No. 1,344,491 issued to me on June It is an object of thisinvention to provide a bendable strip of the interlocking 16 type shownin my patent mentioned, withhead 2 the neck of which'is formed with anopening 3. The other end of'the strip can a supplemental retainingtongue.

A further object is to provide a seal which will break when opened andwhich, if left in position after being opened or broken 20 will expose aportion of the seal not ordinarily visible and which portion is sodistinctive in appearance asto readily attract the eye of the inspector.

Another ob ect is to provide a seal which by prearrangements is weakenedat its bending point by transverse scores which can be produced easilyand will not weaken the seal to the same extent as where perforationsare punched into the seal.

With the foregoing and other objectsin view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and, in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope ofwhat is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of the inventionshown can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the pre-' 'ferred forms of the inventionhave been shown.

In said drawings-- Figure 1 is a perspective view'of the seal.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the opposite side thereof andshowing the supplemental holding tongue bent to its first position.

Flgure 3 is a perspective view of the seal '50 and showing the endportions bent to interlocking position. v Figure 4 is a perspectiveviewshowing the seal completelyfolded or'bent.

Figure 5 is a plan view of one end-portion of a slightly modified formof seal.-

Figure is a perspective view showing the seal with its number'end brokenoff.

F igure 7 is a view of aslightly modified form of seal. 7

Figure 8 is a perspective view showing the first positions of thepartswhen said modified form is being bent to active posiv Figure '9shows the modified'form of seal completely folded. I

Figure 10 shows the seal after the number end thereof has been brokenofi'.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates anelongated strip of metalprovided at one end with aT-shaped be providedwith a short tongue 4 although if preferred saidend can be cut offstraight.

Formed in the strip 1 near that end from WlllCll the tongue 4 extendsare oppositely disposed T-shaped Slots 5 and 6, the slot-6 beingprovided in the longitudinalportion 10 in Figure 5 or they can bearranged in 1 pairs as in Figure 2, the scores of each pair being inalignment. That, portion of the strip extending from the score -8 to thehead 2 forms one end arm of theseal, indicated at 11- and on the scoredside of the seal there is stamped in this end portion 11 suitableidentifying'data such as the initials or the name of the railroad onwhich the seal is used. That portion of the sealing stripbetween thescores 8 and 9 and which hasbeen indicated at 12 constitutes the body ofthe seal while thatportion ofthe strip between the score 9 and the slot6 forms the other end arm 13 of the Seal. That endportion of the stripbetween the slot 6 and the tongue 4 forms the locking portion oftheseal, indicated at 14. This locking portion has the number of the sealstamped inthat vide a narrow longitudinal tongue 17 normally extendedtoward the slot 6 as shown in Figure 1. In using this seal the tongue 17is first bent back onto the scored face of the strip 1 as shown inFigure 2. The strip is then inserted with its head 2 first through thepart to which the seal is to be applied after which the arms 11 and 13are bent at mentioned. The tongu 17 is then bent over the free end ofthe locking portion 1 1 as shown in Figure lwhereupon the sealing actionis completed. With the parts thus arranged it will be noted that boththe number of the seal and the name or designating character appearingon the seal will be exposed to View.

I In view of the prearrangement of the scoring at the bending points,the seal cannot be removed from the part engaged thereby without firstbending back the tongue 17. This bending of the tongue will release thenumber section, said section not necessarily breaking off. The lockingend 14 must then be bent back to release the head 2 from the lug 7 andthis rebending will result in the severance of said locking means.

' Furthermore it will expose 'to view therecess'16 sothat when aninspector passes near the seal he can detect at a glance whether theseal has been opened.

Importance is attached to the use of the scores 8 because they can bemade very easily and eliminate the necessity of perforatingthe strip atthe bending point. The scores can be extended entirely across the stripas shown in Figure '5, it so desired, this arrangement preventing thestrip from being folded backwards, inasmuch as any such attempt willresult in the seal being broken off at the score 5, 8 or 5, due to thefact that the proper cracking of the outer strata of the metal at thebending point is insured, the walls of the scores forming shoulderswhich serve to pry the seal apart when bent in the wrong direction.

In Figure 6 the relative positions of the parts subsequent to thebreaking off of the number end of the seal have been illustrated.Obviously after the number end has been broken off the appearance ofthe'seal will be quite different from what it was prior to the breakingoff of the end of the seal and, therefore, the attention of theinspector will be promptly attracted to the seal.

In Figures '1 8, 9 and 10 a slightly modified structure has beendisclosed wherein the slot 18 is arranged oppositely to the slot 16 andis formed both in the middle section 12 and in the section 13. Thus whenthe seal is given its first bend, as shown in Figure 8, the tongue 19will extend beyond one of the angles. Consequently when the number end20 is bent back to locking position its free end will rest on a portionof the tongue 19 and only one bend of said tongue will be necessary inorder to bring it to holding position as shown in Figure 9. With thismodified arrangement the tongue will be left outstanding when the numberend 20 is removed, as shown in Figure 10.

WV hat is claimed is 1. A car seal comprising a stripbendable atprearranged points and having interlocking portions, a locking end onthe strip bendable ,to hold the interlocking portions againstseparation, there-being a recess in the seal having a portion normallyconcealed by said locking end when in holdingposition, and meansbendable into engagement with the locking end while in holding position.

2. A car seal comprising a strip bendable at prearranged points andhaving interlocking portions, a locking end on the strip bendable toholdthe interlocking portions against separation, there being a recessin the seal having a portion normally concealed by said locking end whenin holding position, and a tongue bendable from therecess intoengagement with the locking end while in holding position.

3. A car seal comprising a strip bendable at prearranged points, saidstrip having transverse scores at the bending points for weaking thestrip, the said striphaving interlocking portions, a locking end on thestrip bendable to hold the-interlocking portions against separation,there being a recess in the seal having a portion normally concealed bysaid locking end when in holding position, said strip being formed of amaterial adapted to separate when rebent at any point of bending.

4. A car seal comprising astrip bendable at prearranged points, saidstrip having transverse scores at the bending points for weakening thestrip, the said strip having interlocking portions, a locking end on thestrip bendable to hold'the interlocking portions against separation,there being a re cess inthe seal having a portion normally concealed bysaid locking end wheninholding position, said strip being formed of amaterial adapted to separate when rebent at any point of bending, and atongue bendable 1 from the recess into engagement with the locking endwhile in holding position.

5. A car seal comprising a strip bendable at prearranged points andhaving interlocking portions, a locking end on the strip ice bendable tohold the interlocking portion s as my own, I have hereto afiixed mysigagainst separation, and a tongue integral nature in the presence oftwo witnesses. with the strip and bendable into engagement with thelocking end, all portions of WILLIAM EDGAR the strip beingof a materialadapted to Witnesses: t break when rebent at any one point. GEo. B.EDGAR,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing H.L. SUTHERLAND.

